The arrow itself told a story.

The tip remained in Ötzi’s shoulder, but the shaft was gone — which indicated that either the attacker or someone else had broken it off or pulled it out, leaving only the tip.

This was consistent with what happens in many arrow wounds and with attempts to remove identifying evidence from the wound.

His hands told additional stories.

High-resolution imaging and analysis of Ötzi’s right hand — his dominant hand, the one he would have used to fight, to grip weapons, to defend himself — revealed defensive wounds.

Deep cuts on the fingers and between the thumb and index finger were consistent with injuries sustained when grabbing the blade of a weapon during a close-quarters struggle. Ötzi had fought someone, recently, before he died.